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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

The 160 bpm tempo is simply too fast for me at this stage of my development. 120 bpm would have been more ideal, and my lines sound much more interesting at that tempo. What am I going to do when faced with a really uptempo tune?!

I know everyone learns at their own pace, but I seriously would like to know how many years it is going to take until it starts to happen. You wouldn't know it but I've been at it for over 2 years and still sound like a beginner. My secret weapon is that I am stubborn and refuse to give up until I die.

Hey elkayemThat was a nice Lesson 1 solo. Personally, I'm happy to be a beginner forever, insofar as if you have high expectations of yourself, it causes unnecessary stress, and decreases your performance level.

Hey KnottyI'm impressed with how professionally the course is run. It is worth signing up for just to receive Gary's solos and backing tracks.I expect it will run again later in the year.

Thanks knotty and custard apple. You are right, I am being hard on myself. It is amazing how much time and effort is required to make noticeable progress, but I am improving little by little. Problem is my standards are set way too high. I expect I should be playing at Oscar Peterson's level in about 200 years, meanwhile I should enjoy the journey more. Thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks to Chris who noted that I could still join, I did join the course!Here's assignment 1 for which I'll get no credit (not that I need any). http://snd.sc/1396BXr

Anyway, I find it odd the way Burton approaches improv. 10 scales to learn but it isn't quite clear when to use which. For example, when are Phrygian and Aeolian used?

And more importantly, some of the most common scales are missing (at least to me):- Melodic minor - 1st mode. What are you supposed to play on the 1 of a minor 2-5-1. Maybe we'll find out next week?- Pentatonic - half the real book is made up of pentatonic melodies)- Blues. Nothing like a good blues scale to bring it home. - Harmonic Minor - maybe you don't like that one, but it's my 5 year old's favorite. First scale C minor, 2nd is A melodic Minor and 3rd he ever learned was A harmonic minor. It's gotta be worth something.

Masterful! I'm hoping he is going to explain the rational behind all of those missing core scales. I think it is because they are not chord scales and Berklee is at war against non-chord scales. Melodic, harmonic and blues go across a harmony. I will bet that they burn melodic and harmonic at the stake, and reluctantly offer blues as an alternative when necessary.

Thanks ken.see I thought the basic scale on the 1 of a minor 251 was melodic minor.just like major scale for major 251.modes of melodic minor are used as altered (7) and lydian dominant (4). but not the 1st mode. that is odd.

I know some here dont like harmonic minor in jazz (I wont say any names).but I do, so take that Sweden ;-)

Thanks to Chris who noted that I could still join, I did join the course!Here's assignment 1 for which I'll get no credit (not that I need any). http://snd.sc/1396BXr

Anyway, I find it odd the way Burton approaches improv. 10 scales to learn but it isn't quite clear when to use which. For example, when are Phrygian and Aeolian used?

Hey KnotsThanks for posting your fun solo.In terms of modes, I only got up to learning Aeolian as I'm working on other things at the moment.So I never ended up learning Phrygian.

Aeolian is typically used in a very specific setting in jazz, I still actually haven't found a chord in a jazz standard which calls for this particular type of dark sound. But also there is a type of jazz standard (that I haven't yet played) with such a long minor harmonic progression such that you can switch modes/scales to maintain listener interest - switching from dorian to blues to aeolian would sound very cool.

I think in this coming week, Gary will talk about when to use chord-scale x or y.

Thanks to Chris who noted that I could still join, I did join the course! Here's assignment 1 for which I'll get no credit (not that I need any). http://snd.sc/1396BXr

Nice Knotty, very nice.

Originally Posted By: knotty

Anyway, I find it odd the way Burton approaches improv. 10 scales to learn but it isn't quite clear when to use which. For example, when are Phrygian and Aeolian used?

Lesson two is about scales, not chords, that's next week. The approach, as I understand it, is getting to know the sound/texture and shape of the different scales; from light to dark (like Gaffa tape; it has a light and a dark side - keep the Universe together . . . ).

However, there is a method to this "madness", it's Gary Burton's method for ... sake. So there must be a reason why he's teaching the stuff in this manner. Look at the scale choices we have been given for the 2nd assignment, nothing arbitrary there.

I'm definitely going to redo this. I thought that I could make the scales sound like they had the right character even though I was was playing them over LH that was different (like D Dorian over C6add11 preceded by a G to C bass note). I was wrong, wrong wrong. At the end of the day, it sounds like just playing in C no matter what you emphasize in the RH. I made that mistake on some of the others too. So a redo is in order. It is a nice little exercise, though. Now I know for sure what the sound difference would be.

Chris and Ken, thanks for sharing! Great playing! Ken, nice idea using Flamenco Sketches. That's the same motif Bill Evans also uses on Peace Piece, and is a great vehicle for modal improvisation. I enjoyed hearing how you used it for the assignment.

Just checked out the new assignment. 500 Miles High?! Whoa, this is going to scare a lot of folks off (those who haven't left already). All I can figure is that Gary wanted to find a tune where a more traditional functional analysis doesn't work, so his more deductive approach to chord scales would be needed. I'm can't tell where the key centers are on this tune, though I do spot a minor 2-5-1 in there.